I think the first reaction I have is noticing every little thing about how the mechanics are designed and how they are all reacting to how people beat DS1- raw power, estus flasks being OP, farming endless hordes, access to easy 100% damage blocking, lock-on dueling- and going “lol learn it again”

Part of it was my passivity in straight-up fights. Towards the end of DS1 I had finally figured out how to win one-on-ones duels with knights, so all of the aggression was beaten out of me here. I won using the Grand Lance lol

The Pursuer forced me to learn his moveset. Aside from Chaos Bed I killed all the DS1 bosses so fast I never had time to learn them at all lol

I also don’t like the curse mechanic as it makes being stonewalled by a boss like the Pursuer feel really really frustrating because of losing your margin of error. But in general I think it’s a fine change that encourages interacting with people online

Believe it or not the change I like the least is the bars’ UI- the DS1 bars were measurable in ticks and the chunkier size literally helped me to not feel so frail.

One criticism I read that rung in my ears a bit was that the writing seemed like it trying to actively dodge what they felt Rick & Morty tripped into in season 3 and it limited their imagination